Device, system and method for reducing an interaction time for a contactless transaction

ABSTRACT

Methods, devices, and systems are described for sending and receiving messages between a terminal reader and a payment device, such as a credit card. A dynamic signature is calculated on the payment device from an application transaction counter, a terminal unpredictable number, and a transaction amount, and it is sent with an application file locator (AFL) to the reader. The reader then sends a read record command to the payment device to get records associated with the AFL, among other normal processing. While the normal processing is occurring for the transaction, the dynamic signature can be recalculated and compared with that from the payment device in order to assure that nothing has surreptitiously changed the values in the messages.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/278,766, filed May 15, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/831,114, filed Jul. 6, 2010, which is adivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/536,307,filed on Sep. 28, 2006, which claims the priority benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/807,775, filed on Jul. 19, 2006,and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/721,454, filed on Sep.28, 2005, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

This application discloses an invention that is related, generally andin various embodiments, to a device, system and method for reducing andinteraction time for a contactless transaction.

Contactless and wireless communication technologies have become morewidespread in recent years. In the payment industry, contactlesspayments has a number of advantages over both traditional magneticstripe technologies and contact-based chip payment protocols. Forexample, traditional payment contact cards are known to operaterelatively slowly, and magnetic stripe cards are known to not besufficiently secure. Each of these technologies further requires a slotin a terminal reader that must be maintained by a merchant.

Contactless payment does not require a slot in which to enter the card.The consumer retains control over the card and merely positions the cardnear the terminal reader whenever necessary. The traditionalspecifications adopted by the payment industry for contact-based chippayment generally require the consumer to position the card near theterminal reader at different times and/or for extended periods of timein order to complete a transaction. With both merchants and consumersdesiring fast transaction times, contactless transactions executed inaccordance with the traditional specifications fail to meet marketrequirements.

Merchants and consumers are also demanding the contactless transactionsbe more secure. Although more recently issued contactless magneticstripe-based cards can be more secure than traditional magnetic stripecards, such contactless magnetic stripe-based cards are typicallydesigned only for online transactions. For contactless offlinetransactions executed in accordance with the traditional specifications,the transactions can be susceptible to various offline “man in themiddle” types of attacks generally referred to as sleeve attacks, Trojanhorse attacks, etc.

In one type of sleeve attack, a device intercepts data transmittedwirelessly from a card reader that is intended for a contactless card.The device alters the data and subsequently transmits the altered datato the card. Instead of receiving the data transmitted by the cardreader, the card receives the altered data transmitted by the device.The card subsequently processes the altered data and transmits a messagerelated to the altered data to the card reader. The card readersubsequently grants approval of the transaction based on informationpresent in the message transmitted by the card. In another type ofsleeve attack, a device intercepts data transmitted wirelessly from thecard that is intended for the card reader. The device alters the dataand subsequently transmits the altered data to the card reader. Insteadof receiving the data transmitted by the card, the card reader receivesthe altered data transmitted by the device. The card reader subsequentlyprocesses the altered data and grants approval of the transaction basedon information present in the altered data transmitted by the device. Inother types of sleeve attacks, the device may cause a denial of serviceby not forwarding intercepted data to the card or the card reader.

In one type of Trojan horse attack, malicious software embedded in thecard alters valid data prior to information being sent to the cardreader. The card reader ultimately grants approval of the transactionbased on the altered data. In another type of Trojan horse attack,malicious software embedded in the card reader alters valid data priorto the authorization process. The card reader ultimately grants approvalof the transaction based on the altered data.

For a given offline transaction, a “man in the middle” attack may beutilized to reduce the amount of the transaction as ultimatelyrecognized by the card and the card reader. For example, for a givenoffline transaction involving the purchase of goods from a merchant, thecard reader may wirelessly transmit data intended for the card whichindicates that the value of the transaction is equal to $15. However,prior to the data being received by the card, the device intercepts thedata and alters the data so that the altered data indicates that thevalue of the transaction is equal to only $1. Upon receiving theapproval, the merchant releases the goods with the belief that theapproved transaction amount was equal to $15. The difference between theactual transaction amount and the reduced transaction amount may affectthe amount ultimately received by the merchant from a card issuer.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one general respect, this application discloses a reader. Accordingto various embodiments, the reader comprises a contactless interface anda transaction module. The transaction module is coupled to thecontactless interface, and is structured and arranged to process acontactless transaction with less than one-half second of interactiontime between a card and the reader.

In another general respect, this application discloses a card. Accordingto various embodiments, the card comprises a transaction modulestructured and arranged for wireless communication, and the card isstructured and arranged to operate in a chip-mode and a magnetic stripedata mode.

In another general respect, this application discloses a system.According to various embodiments, the system comprises a reader and acard. The reader comprises a contactless interface and a transactionmodule. The card is structured and arranged to communicate with thereader via the contactless interface. The transaction module is coupledto the contactless interface, and is structured and arranged to processa contactless transaction with less than one-half second of interactiontime between the card and the reader.

In another general respect, this application discloses a method forreducing an interaction time for a contactless transaction. According tovarious embodiments, the method comprises, at a reader, performing atleast one transaction-based risk management process prior to energizinga contactless interface, initiating communication with a card utilizedfor the contactless transaction, receiving information associated withthe card, and terminating communication with the card prior toauthorizing the contactless transaction.

In another general aspect, this application discloses a method forpreventing a man in the middle attack on a contactless transaction.According to various embodiments, the method comprises receiving adynamic signature that comprises an application transaction counter, aterminal unpredictable number, a transaction amount, a transactioncurrency code, and a card unpredictable number. The method alsocomprises receiving a card unpredictable number, recalculating thedynamic signature utilizing the card unpredictable number, andauthorizing the contactless transaction offline if the dynamic signatureis validated.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented by a computing device and/ora computer program stored on a computer-readable medium. Thecomputer-readable medium may comprise a disk, a device, and/or apropagated signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein by way ofexample in conjunction with the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates various embodiments of a reader for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction;

FIG. 2 illustrates various embodiments of a system for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction;

FIG. 3 illustrates various embodiments of a method for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction;

FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating various embodiments ofa preliminary transaction processing step of the method of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating various embodiments ofan application selection step of the method of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating various embodiments ofan authorization step of the method of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 illustrates various embodiments of a method for reducing aninteraction time for a second contactless transaction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that at least some of the figures anddescriptions of the invention have been simplified to focus on elementsthat are relevant for a clear understanding of the invention, whileeliminating, for purposes of clarity, other elements that those ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate may also comprise a portion ofthe invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art,and because they do not necessarily facilitate a better understanding ofthe invention, a description of such elements is not provided herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates various embodiments of a reader 10 for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction. The reader 10 may be anytype of device that is structured and arranged to communicate withanother device via a contactless interface. According to variousembodiments, the reader 10 may be merchant device that is integratedinto a point-of-sale device. As used herein, the phrase “interactiontime” refers to the interaction time between the reader 10 and anotherdevice, and does not include the time required to go online forauthorization of the reader to validate a static or dynamic signature ofoffline data authentication. The reader 10 may be utilized with anexisting payment system infrastructure for markets which requiretransaction times faster than those associated with traditional paymentprotocols. According to various embodiments, the reader 10 may beutilized to reduce the interaction time to less than approximately 500milliseconds.

The reader 10 comprises a contactless interface 12 and a transactionmodule 14 coupled to the contactless interface. The transaction module14 is structured and arranged to process a contactless transaction withless than one-half of a second of interaction time between the reader 10and another device. The transaction module 14 may also be structured andarranged to perform static data authentication and/or dynamic dataauthentication as described in more detail hereinbelow. According tovarious embodiments, the reader 10 further comprises a security module16 coupled to the transaction module 14. The security module 16 isstructured and arranged to prevent a “man in the middle” attack on acontactless transaction.

Each of the modules 14, 16 may be implemented in hardware or infirmware. According to various embodiments, the modules 14, 16 may beimplemented as software applications, computer programs, etc. utilizingany suitable computer language (e.g., C, C++, Delphi, Java, JavaScript,Perl, Visual Basic, VBScript, etc.) and may be embodied permanently ortemporarily in any type of machine, component, physical or virtualequipment, storage medium, or propagated signal capable of deliveringinstructions to a device. The software code may be stored as a series ofinstructions or commands on a computer-readable medium such that when aprocessor reads the medium, the functions described herein areperformed. As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” mayinclude, for example, magnetic and optical memory devices such asdiskettes, compact discs of both read-only and writeable varieties,optical disk drives, and hard disk drives. A computer-readable mediummay also include memory storage that can be physical, virtual,permanent, temporary, semi-permanent and/or semi-temporary. Acomputer-readable medium may further include one or more propagatedsignals, and such propagated signals may or may not be transmitted onone or more carrier waves. Although the modules 14, 16 are shown in FIG.1 as two separate modules, one skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe functionality of the modules 14, 16 may be combined into a singlemodule.

FIG. 2 illustrates various embodiments of a system 20 for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction. The system 20 comprisesthe reader 10 and a card 22. As used herein, the term “card” refers toany type of device that can communicate with the reader 10 over thecontactless interface 12. According to various embodiments, the card 22may be a smart card, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, etc.The card 22 is structured and arranged to communicate with the reader 10via the contactless interface 12. According to various embodiments, thecard 22 comprises a transaction module 24 structured and arranged tocooperate with the reader 10 to execute the contactless transaction. Thecard 22 may further comprise a security module 26 structured andarranged to cooperate with the reader 10 to prevent a “man in the middleattack” on the contactless transaction. The modules 24, 26 may besimilar to the modules 14, 16 of the reader 10. According to variousembodiments, the card 22 may be a dual mode card which is structured andarranged to operate in either a chip-mode or in a magnetic stripe datamode (utilizing Track 2 equivalent data). The mode of operation utilizedby the card 22 may be determined by the card 22 based on thecapabilities of the reader 10.

The system 20 may further comprise a network 28 coupled to the reader 10and an issuer 30. The network 28 may be any suitable type of network asknown in the art, may be coupled to the reader 10 in an suitable mannerknown in the art, and may be coupled to the issuer 30 in an suitablemanner known in the art. The network 28 may include any type of deliverysystem including, but not limited to a local area network (e.g.,Ethernet), a wide area network (e.g. the Internet and/or World WideWeb), a telephone network (e.g., analog, digital, wired, wireless, PSTN,ISDN, GSM, GPRS, and/or xDSL), a packet-switched network, a radionetwork, a television network, a cable network, a satellite network,and/or any other wired or wireless communications network configured tocarry data. The network 28 may include elements, such as, for example,intermediate nodes, proxy servers, routers, switches, and adaptersconfigured to direct and/or deliver data.

FIG. 3 illustrates various embodiments of a method 40 for reducing aninteraction time for a contactless transaction. The method 40 may beimplemented by the system 20 of FIG. 2. The method 40 comprises thegeneral steps of preliminary transaction processing 42, discoveryprocessing 44, application selection 46, application processing 48, andtransaction authorization 50.

To minimize the interaction time between the card 22 and the reader 10for a given transaction, the preliminary transaction processing step 42is performed by the reader 10 before requesting that the card 22 bepresented. During the preliminary transaction processing step 42, thereader 10 performs certain transaction-based risk management processes.For example, according to various embodiments, the reader 10 may obtainthe transaction amount and compare the transaction amount to atransaction limit, a floor limit, a card holder verification methodlimit, etc. Once the preliminary transaction processing step 42 iscompleted, the reader 10 may prompt a cardholder to present the card 22.Based on the preliminary transaction processing, the reader 10 mayrequest that the transaction be terminated, processed online, orprocessed offline. A simplified flow diagram illustrating variousembodiments of the preliminary transaction processing step 42 is shownin FIG. 4.

The discovery processing step 44 follows the preliminary transactionprocessing step 42. Once the card 22 is presented and is within range ofthe reader 10, the reader 10 energizes the contactless interface 12 andestablishes communication with the card 22 via the contactless interface12 during the discovery processing step 44. If the reader 10 detectsmultiple contactless cards 22 within its range, the reader 10 mayindicate this condition to a cardholder and may request that only onecard 22 be presented for the transaction. In addition, a reader 10 mayabort a transaction during the discovery processing step 44 andde-energize the contactless interface 12 upon a merchant command orafter a pre-defined timeout period.

The application selection step 46 follows the discovery processing step44. During the application selection step 46, the reader 10 transmits afirst command message (e.g., SELECT PPSE) to the card 22. The firstcommand message may serve as a request for a list of applicationidentities, application labels, and application priority indicators forapplications that are supported by the card 22 and that are accessiblevia the contactless interface 12. Responsive to the first commandmessage, the card 22 builds such a list and transmits the list to thereader 10. According to various embodiments, the list may be providedwithin file control information (FCI) transmitted to the reader 10. Thereader 10 utilizes the list transmitted by the card 22 to build a listof applications common to the reader 10 and the card 22. After buildingthe list of common applications, the reader 10 transmits a secondcommand message (e.g., SELECT AID) to the card 22. The second commandmessage may serve as a request to conduct the transaction utilizing aspecific application from the list of common applications. According tovarious embodiments, the specific application may be the commonapplication having the highest priority as indicated by the applicationpriority indicators previously transmitted by the card 22. Responsive tothe second command message, the card 22 transits a request the reader 10to provide various details concerning the capabilities of the reader 10and transaction specific requirements of the reader 10. According tovarious embodiments, the required details may be provided in a list ofterminal data objects (e.g., PDOL) associated with the reader 10. If thelist of terminal data objects includes a particular data element (e.g.,terminal transaction qualifiers), the process advances to theapplication step 48. Otherwise, the reader 10 may terminate thetransaction or attempt to process the transaction over anotherinterface. A simplified flow diagram illustrating various embodiments ofthe application selection step 46 is shown in FIG. 5.

During the application processing step 48, the reader 10 transmits athird command message (e.g., GPO) to the card 22 responsive to thecard's request for details concerning the capabilities of the reader 10and transaction specific requirements of the reader 10. The thirdcommand message is structured such that it can be utilized in lieu ofthree separate commands required by previous specifications. By reducingthe number of commands and responses required to complete thecontactless transaction, the interaction time required between the cards22 and the reader 10 is further minimized. The third command message maycomprise values for any number of data elements requested by the card22. Various data element values indicate the type of transactionssupported by the reader 20, whether offline and/or online processing issupported or required by the reader 10, which cardholder verificationmethods are supported or required by the reader 10, etc. The dataelements may comprise terminal transaction qualifiers, the transactionamount, a terminal unpredictable number, a transaction currency code,and any other data requested by the card 22 in its response to thesecond command message.

Based on the type of transactions supported by the reader 10, the card22 then performs a number of risk-management processes associated with aparticular transaction type. According to various embodiments, therisk-management processes may include checking an internal cardindicator to protect against transaction tearing, comparing a value ofan application currency code to a value of a transaction currency code,comparing the number of personal identification number entries to apredetermined limit, determining whether a cardholder verificationmethod is required, comparing the transaction amount to a low valuelimit associated with the card 22, comparing the transaction amount to acumulative total transaction amount associated with the card 22,comparing a value of a consecutive transaction counter to a value of aconsecutive transaction limit, etc. By performing the recited riskmanagement processes at this point in the transaction, as opposed tobeing performed at a later point in accordance with a traditionalspecification, the interaction time between the card 22 and the reader10 is further minimized. Based on the risk-management processing, thecard 22 may request that the transaction be terminated, processedonline, or processed offline.

Following the completion of the risk-management processes, the card 22builds the appropriate response to the third command message andtransmits the response to the reader 10. The information included in theresponse may vary depending on whether the card 22 desires thetransaction to be authorized online, authorized offline, or terminated.For example, when the card 22 desires the transaction to be authorizedonline, the response may include an application transaction counter(ATC) that indicates the number of transactions processed by the card,an application cryptogram generated by the card 22 utilizing theapplication transaction counter and terminal data (e.g., the terminalunpredictable number and the transaction amount) included in the thirdcommand message, an application interchange profile (AIP) that indicatessupport for risk management features, issuer application data, and Track2 equivalent data, and various other data elements.

When the card 22 desires the transaction to be authorized offline, theresponse to the third command message may include an applicationtransaction counter (ATC) that indicates the number of transactionsprocessed by the card. The response may also include a dynamic signaturegenerated by the card 22 utilizing the application transaction counter,terminal data (e.g., the terminal unpredictable number, the transactionamount, and the transaction currency) included in the third commandmessage, and a card unpredictable number. The response may furtherinclude an application cryptogram generated by the card 22 utilizing theapplication transaction counter and terminal data (e.g., the terminalunpredictable number and the transaction amount) included in the thirdcommand message. In addition, the response may include an applicationfile locator (AFL) that indicates the location of files and recordsrelated to the application, an application interchange profiles (AIP)that indicates support for risk management features, issuer applicationdata, and various other data elements. According to various embodiments,the card 22 may increment the application transaction counter prior toits causation of the application cryptogram and the dynamic signature.If the size of the dynamic signature exceeds a predetermined threshold,the dynamic signature may be returned in authorization step 50 andresent to a fourth command message described hereinbelow. According tovarious embodiments, the application cryptogram generated by the card 22comprises fewer data elements than application cryptograms utilized byprevious specifications. By utilizing fewer data elements to generatethe application cryptogram, overall processing time is reduced and theinteraction time between the card 22 and the reader 10 is furtherminimized.

The authorization step 50 follows the application processing step 48.After the reader 10 receives the response to the third command messagefrom the card 22, the card 22 may be removed from the range of thereader 10 when the transaction is to be authorized online. Therefore,the card 22 is not required to remain within range of the reader 10while online authorization is requested and performed. By being able toremove the card 22 at this point in the transaction process, theinteraction time between the card 22 and the reader 10 is furtherminimized. The reader 10 may then send the application cryptogram,provided by the card 22 in response to the third command message, onlineto the issuer 30. Based on a response subsequently received from theissuer 30, the reader 10 approves or declines the transaction.

When the transaction is to be authorized offline, the reader 10transmits a fourth command message (e.g., READ RECORD) to the card 22after receiving the response to the third command message from the card22. The fourth command message may serve as a request for the recordsindicated in the application file locator (AFL) provided by the card 22in response to the third command message. Responsive to the fourthcommand message, the card 22 transmits the appropriate records to thereader 10. When the last record is received by the reader 10, the card22 may be removed from the range of the reader 10. Therefore, the card22 is not required to remain within range of the reader 10 while offlineauthorization is performed. By being able to remove the card 22 at thispoint in the transaction process, the interaction time between the card22 and the reader 10 is further minimized. The reader 10 may then checkwhether the card 22 is expired. If the reader 10 determines that thecard 22 is not expired, the reader 10 may the perform offline dataauthentication. The type of offline data authentication performed,static data authentication (SDA) or dynamic data authentication (DDA),is determined based on the application interchange profile (AIP)provided by the card 22 in response to the third command message.

For static data authentication, the reader 10 attempts to validate thestatic signature provided by the card 22 in the response to the thirdcommand message. Static data authentication involves validatingimportant application data to ensure that the data has not beenfraudulently altered. If the static signature is validated, thetransaction is approved offline. Otherwise, the transaction may be sentonline or terminated. For dynamic data authentication, the reader 10attempts to validate the dynamic signature provided by the card 22 inresponse to the third command message. Dynamic data authenticationinvolves validating important application data to ensure that the datahas not been fraudulently altered and that the card 22 is genuine.According to various embodiments, the validation of the dynamicsignature may comprise utilizing the application transaction counter(ATC) and the terminal unpredictable number provided by the card 22 inthe response to the third command message to recalculate the dynamicsignature. According to other embodiments, the validation of the dynamicsignature may comprise utilizing a card unpredictable number receivedfrom the card to recalculate the dynamic signature. If the dynamicsignature is validated, the reader 10 generates a clearing message whichincludes the cryptogram provided by the card 22 in the response to thethird command message and other related data. Otherwise, the transactionmay be sent online or terminated. According to various embodiments, ifthe dynamic signature is not validated, the reader 10 may send thetransaction online utilizing the cryptogram previously received from thecard 22. Thus, the reader 10 may generate an online request with anoffline cryptogram. A simplified flow diagram illustrating variousembodiments of the authorization step 50 is shown in FIG. 6.

As described hereinabove, the method 40 may be utilized to minimize theinteraction time between the card 22 and the reader 10 for a contactlesstransaction to less than approximately 500 milliseconds. To prevent anoffline sleeve attack on the contactless transaction, variousembodiments of the method 40 may utilize a novel type of dynamic dataauthentication. For offline transactions, the card 22 may utilize theapplication transaction counter (ATC) and the card unpredictable number,along with the terminal unpredictable number, the transaction amount andthe transaction currency code included in the third command message(e.g., GPO) to create the dynamic signature. The application filelocator (AFL), which is subsequently sent with the dynamic signature tothe reader 10 in the response to the third command message, points torecords containing the RSA certificates and data related to dynamic dataauthentication. Therefore, during the authentication step 50, the reader10 may read an issuer certificate, a contactless card certificate, anddata related to dynamic data authentication. According to variousembodiments, the reader 10 may utilize the application transactioncounter (ATC), the card unpredictable number, the terminal unpredictablenumber, the transaction amount and the transaction currency codereceived from the card 22 in response to the fourth command message torecalculate the dynamic signature for validation purposes. In instanceswhere the contactless transaction has been subjected to a sleeve attack,the recalculation will not match the dynamic signature previouslyreceived from the card 22. For such instances, the reader 10 may declineor terminate the contactless transaction.

FIG. 7 illustrates various embodiments of a method 60 for reducing aninteraction time for a second contactless transaction that occursfollowing the request for online authorization at step 50 of method 40.According to various embodiments, the method 60 may comprise a portionof the method 40. The method 60 may be implemented by the system 20 ofFIG. 2. The method 60 may be utilized to minimize the interaction timebetween the card 22 and the reader 10 for the second contactlesstransaction to less than approximately 500 milliseconds. According tovarious embodiments, the method 60 comprises the general steps of secondtransaction request 62, application selection 64, application processing66, and transaction approval 68.

The second contactless transaction is not a financial transaction. Asthe second contactless transaction comprises the card 22 being presentedwithin range of the reader 10 for a second time, the process may bereferred to as card return processing. Prior to the start of theprocess, during the first transaction described hereinabove, both thereader 10 and the card 22 may indicate to one another that they supportcard return processing. For example, the reader 10 and the card 22 mayindicate their support of card return processing during the applicationselection step 46 of the first transaction.

After the request for online authorization at step 50 of method 40,either the reader 10 or the card 22 (via the cardholder) may request thesecond contactless transaction during the second transaction requeststep 62. According to various embodiments, reader 10 may request thesecond contactless transaction during the second transaction requeststep 62 when an issuer response to the online authorization requestcomprises a message to be delivered to the card 22. Such a message maybe utilized to provide updates or counter resets to the card 22, or toblock the account. For example, in an online authorization response, theissuer 30 may include a script message in the response which requeststhat the card 22 be presented for a second time. In this manner, theissuer 30 may be able to subsequently block the account, replenishoffline spending capability, increase the offline spending limit, etc.even if the card 22 has not requested that such actions be taken. Toprompt the cardholder to present the card 22 for a second time, thereader 10 may display a message indicating that additional cardprocessing time is required, a message requesting to please present thecard again, etc.

According to other embodiments, the card 22 may request the secondtransaction in order to receive a reload when card offline spendingcapability becomes low. For example, when card offline spendingcapability becomes low, the card 22, via the cardholder, may request areload by requesting an online authorization and providing the currentavailable spending amount. To ensure that the card 22 being presented isthe same card 22 which was presented for the first transaction, the card22 may be authenticated during the second transaction request step 62.

The application selection 64 step follows the second transaction requeststep 62. The application selection step 64 of method 60 may be similarto the application selection step 46 of the method 40 describedhereinabove. During the application selection step 64, the reader 10transmits a command message (e.g., SELECT VSDC AID) to the card 22. Thecommand message may serve as a request to conduct the second transactionutilizing a specific application from the list of common applicationspreviously built by the reader 10. Responsive to the command message thecard 22 transmits a PDOL to the reader 10. The PDOL may be similar tothe PDOL transmitted to the reader 10 during the application selectionstep 46 of the method 40 described hereinabove. If the PDOL includes aparticular data element (e.g., terminal transaction qualifiers), theprocess advances to the application processing step 66.

The application process step 66 follows the application selection step64. The application processing step 66 may be similar to the applicationprocessing step 48 of the method 40 described hereinabove, but isdifferent in that no financial transaction processing is involved.During the application processing step 66, the reader transmits anothercommand message (e.g., GPO) to the card 22. Upon receipt of the commandmessage, the card 22 builds an appropriate response and transmits theresponse to the reader 10.

The transaction approval step 68 follows the application processing step66. According to various embodiments, if the issuer 30 decides to reloadthe offline spending capability associated with the card 22, the issuer30 may transmit a response cryptogram and approve the transaction orinclude a script message with a message authentication code (MAC). Thecryptogram or the MAC may serve to ensure that the updates, counterresets, etc. are only made to cards 22 associated with the issuer 30.

As described hereinabove, the method 60 may be utilized to change cardrisk parameters, card counters, card status, etc. For example, withrespect to changing card risk parameters, the method 60 may be utilizedto increase the offline spending limit, increase the single transactionlimit, allow the card to perform transactions in two or more differentcurrencies, change the currency conversion rate utilized, etc. Withrespect to changing card counters, the method 60 may be utilized, forexample, to reset the offline available spending amount, etc. Withrespect to changing the card status, the method 60 may be utilized toblock or unblock a particular application. One skilled in the art willappreciate that the method 60 may be utilized to change otherparameters, counters, etc.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described herein byway of example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variousmodifications, alterations, and adaptions to the described embodimentsmay be realized without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention defined by the appended claims. For example, according tovarious embodiments, the reader 10 system 20 and/or the method 40described hereinabove may be modified to prevent analogous types of“sleeve attacks” on wireless handsets, USB fobs, and other devices whichutilize the wireless transmission of information. Additionally, variousembodiments of the method 60 may be utilized to process transactionsrelated to currency conversions, loyalty programs, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: sending from a reader to apayment device a terminal unpredictable number and a transaction amount;receiving from the payment device a message with a dynamic signaturegenerated based on an application transaction counter (ATC), theterminal unpredictable number, and the transaction amount, the dynamicsignature sent with an application file locator (AFL); and thentransmitting from the reader to the payment device a command message torequest one or more records indicated in the AFL from the paymentdevice; receiving at the reader from the payment device the requestedone or more records requested by the command message; and causing arecalculation of the dynamic signatur+e in order to authorize atransaction if the dynamic signature received from the payment devicematches the recalculated dynamic signature.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: terminating communication between the reader andpayment device prior to performing an online transaction.
 3. The methodof claim 2, further comprising: receiving a cryptogram that is based onthe application transaction counter, the terminal unpredictable number,and the transaction amount; and requesting the transaction be processedonline with the cryptogram if the dynamic signature is not validated. 4.The method of claim 1, further comprising: terminating communicationbetween the reader and the payment device prior to performing an offlineauthorization.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: authorizingthe transaction if the dynamic signature received from the paymentdevice is equal to the recalculated dynamic signature.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving a request for a secondtransaction; and re-establishing communication between the reader andthe payment device.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein completing thesecond transaction changes the application transaction counter.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the second transaction is for a non-financialtransaction.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: incrementing,at the payment device, the application transaction counter; and thengenerating, at the payment device, the dynamic signature.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: transmitting from the reader to thepayment device a request for a list of applications that are supportedby the payment device for conducting a transaction.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the sending, receivings, and transmitting are conductedwirelessly.
 12. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodyinginformation indicative of instructions for causing a reader to performoperations comprising: sending from a reader to a payment device aterminal unpredictable number and a transaction amount; receiving fromthe payment device a message with a dynamic signature generated based onan application transaction counter (ATC), the terminal unpredictablenumber, and the transaction amount, the dynamic signature sent with anapplication file locator (AFL); and then transmitting from the reader tothe payment device a command message to request one or more recordsindicated in the AFL from the payment device; receiving at the readerfrom the payment device the requested one or more records requested bythe command message; and causing a recalculation of the dynamicsignature in order to authorize a transaction if the dynamic signaturereceived from the payment device matches the recalculated dynamicsignature.
 13. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructionsfor: terminating communication between the reader and the payment deviceprior to performing an online authorization.
 14. The medium of claim 13,further comprising instructions for: receiving a cryptogram that isbased on the application transaction counter, the terminal unpredictablenumber, and the transaction amount; and requesting the transaction beprocessed online with the cryptogram if the dynamic signature is notvalidated.
 15. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructionsfor: terminating communication between the reader and the payment deviceprior to performing an offline authorization.
 16. The medium of claim12, wherein the payment device is configured to operate in chip-mode forwireless communication or magnetic stripe mode.
 17. The medium of claim12, wherein the payment device is configured to increment theapplication transaction counter before generating the dynamic signature.18. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions for:transmitting from the reader to the payment device a request for a listof applications that are supported by the payment device for conductinga transaction.
 19. A system comprising: a reader comprising anon-transitory computer readable medium embodying information indicativeof instructions for causing the reader to perform operations comprising:sending from the reader to a payment device a terminal unpredictablenumber and a transaction amount; receiving from the payment device amessage with a dynamic signature generated based on an applicationtransaction counter (ATC), the terminal unpredictable number, and thetransaction amount, the dynamic signature sent with an application filelocator (AFL); and then transmitting from the reader to the paymentdevice a command message to request one or more records indicated in theAFL from the payment device; receiving from the payment device therequested one or more records requested by the command message; andcausing a recalculation of the dynamic signature in order to authorize atransaction if the dynamic signature received from the payment devicematches the recalculated dynamic signature; and the payment devicecomprising a non-transitory computer readable medium embodyinginformation indicative of instructions for causing the payment device toperform operations comprising: sending from the payment device to thereader the message with the dynamic signature; and then sending from thepayment device to the reader the requested one or more records requestedby the command message.
 20. The system of claim 19, further comprisinginstructions in the reader for: receiving from the payment device acryptogram that is based on the application transaction counter, theterminal unpredictable number, and the transaction amount; andrequesting the transaction be processed online with the cryptogram ifthe dynamic signature is not validated.